There are stock markets (股票市场) in large cities in many countries. Stock markets in Paris,
London, Tokyo, Shanghai and New York are among the largest and most well-known. The stock, also called stock exchange, is a place where people can buy or sell shares of a factory or company. And each share means certain ownership(所有权) of a factory or company.
Different people go to stock markets. Some are rich, who want to get more money than they
have. Others are not very rich, who buy stocks to try to become rich. Still others buy stocks as
part of their plan to save money.
Of course, investing (投资) money in the stock market is not the safest way to make money.
No one can tell exactly whether the shares will be doing well. The factory or company may
do badly. Then the stocks will go down, and the investors will lose money. The stock may go up or down for a number of untold reasons. Everyone wants the stock to go up, but sometimes even if a factory or company does a good job, the stock may still go down.
Going to the stock market is often like gambling (赌博). All want to make money by
“gambling’ in the stock market. Factories and companies that need money are pleased that so many people are ready to “gamble”. Indeed, the stock market is an attractive(吸引人的) but complex part of the business world.If you are a good investor, ________ in the stock market.
| A．you can always make money |
| B．you can tell exactly when the stock goes up or down |
| C．you may sometimes lose money |
| D．your gambling is always safe |
The passage mainly wants to tell us________.
| A．how to buy or sell shares |
| B．the stock market is like gambling |
| C．a general idea of stock market |
| D．investing money in the stock market is not the safest way |
Factories and companies are pleased that so many people “gamble” because________.
| A．they can make them rich |
| B．they need their money to do business |
| C．they need more people to work for them |
| D．some people win and some lose |
The word “complex” in the last sentence probably means________.
| A．difficult | B．happy |
| C．complete | D．modern |
“Life is speeding up. Everyone is getting unwell.”
This may sound like something someone would say today. But in fact, an unknown citizen who lived in Rome in AD 52 wrote it.
We all love new inventions. They are exciting, amazing and can even change our lives.
But have all these developments really improved the quality of our lives?
Picture this: You’re rushing to finish your homework on the computer. Your mobile phone rings, a QQ message from your friend appears on the screen, the noise from the television is getting louder and louder. Suddenly the computer goes blank and you lose all your work. Now you have to stay up al
l night to get it done. How calm and happy do you feel?
Inventions have speeded up our lives so much that they often leave us feeling stressed and tired. Why do you think people who live far away from noisy cities, who have not telephones, no cars, not even any electricity often seem to be happier? Perhaps because they lead simpler lives.
One family in the UK went “back in time” to see what life was like without all the inventions we have today. The grandparents, with their daughter, and grandsons Benjamin, 10, and Tomas, 7, spent nine weeks in a 1940s house. They had no washing machine, microwave, computer or mobile phones.
The grandmother, Lyn, said, “It was hard physically, but not mentally.” She believed life was less materialistic. “The more things you have, the more difficult life becomes,” She said. The boys said they fought less to fight over, such as their computer. Benjamin also noticed that his grandmother had changed from being a “trendy（时髦的）, beer-drinking granny, to one who cooked things.”
Here are some simple ways to beat the stress often caused by our inventions!
Don’t be available all the time, turn off your mobile phone at certain times of the day. Don’t check your e-mail every day.
Don’t reply to somebody as soon as they leave a text message just because you can. It may be fun at first, but it soon gets annoying.The passage is mainly about .
| A．problem with technology |
| B．improvements of our life with technology |
| C．the important roles technology plays in our everyday life |
| D．major changes which will be likely to happen to technology |
The writer quoted（引用） what a citizen in ancient Rome said at the beginning of the story in order to .
| A．share a truth about life |
| B．tell us what life was like long time ago |
| C．make us wonder what causes such a thing to happen |
| D．point out that you experience some big problems and they may be the same |
Why did the family choose to spend some time in a 1940’s house? Because.
| A．they liked to live simple lives |
| B．they were curious about how people lived without modern inventions |
| C．they were troubled by modern inventions |
| D．living in a different time would be a lot of fun for them |
What do you think the underlined word “available” in the 1st suggestion offered by the writer mean?
| A．Busy on line | B．Free. | C．Be able to | D．Be found by others. |
My topic today is the Internet. It was prompted(引出)by the first letter, which I am unable to answer fully for the reasons given!
Dear David,
I’m a middle school student. Now I am preparing for a writing competition. Could you please check the mistakes in my article about using the Internet and
Give me some advice? No name 
David writes: I’m very sorry to say that I think it would be very unfair for me to help you win a competition--- unfair to the other competitors!
But I’ll say that your article is very interesting and I wish you good luck.
Dear David,
I’m now learning English by myself. Can you introduce some useful websites where I can make friends with foreigners? Please help me.
Moonlight
David writes: Well, dear moonlight, I think you made a good choice by using the Net in your self-studies. Two very good websites I’d suggest to you are:
www.britishcouncil.org.cn and www.britishcouncil.org.cn/learn.
By the way, for those readers interested in the teaching of English, there is an Internet
discussion group called ELTCSChi-L (English Language Teaching Contacts Scheme China List).
And also, a healthy warning to all my readers: If over-used, the Internet can be a WOMBAT—A Waste of Money, Brains and Time!David is probably a ________.
| A．language expert | B．computer expert |
| C．college student | D．club chairman |
What is the reason why the first letter is unable to be fully answered?
| A．David is unable to think out good advice. |
| B．David thinks it is expected to play fair in the competition. |
| C．David is going to talk on another topic-Internet. |
| D．David finds no mistakes in that article. |
“www.britishcouncil.org.cn” is a (an)________.
| A．English newspaper for students and language teachers. |
| B．website where one can join a discussion group. |
| C．newspaper column for answering readers’ questions . |
| D．website where one can make foreign friends. |
A recent trend(趋势) in Californian restaurants shows new eating habits among those people out to have an interesting dining experience. Appetizers(开胃品)seem to be the name of the games as diners turn away from the more traditional three-course meal in favor of smaller snacks served in various types of restaurants, bars and cafes. In this way, in the course of an evening out, you might go to a restaurant for a tasty dish to eat at one end of town, to a bar with some live music at the other end, then for a coffee, and finally back to the restaurant for a further appetizer.
Reasons for this trend are the fact that so many different types of restaurants have been set up recently, each with their own particular type of food and special atmosphere, together with the increased specialty in the type of snacks being offered. Gone are the cheese sticks of the old days, when appetizers were not really taken seriously. Some favorite snacks of the moment are slices of hot pizza, creamy fish-based dishes and crispy cakes and so on.
Prices for appetizers are not equal to a full meal; however, their new popularity has meant that they are by no means as cheap as they used to be. Certainly, for that special occasion, a meal in a nice restaurant, complete with the piano performance, is hard to beat. However, if we see this trend for “butterfly eating”---moving around several different places in one evening continues, then all the traditional style restaurants may well have to provide their own appetizer bars as well!How are the eating habits of the Californians changing?
| A．People are dining out less. |
| B．Californian restaurants are becoming less popular. |
| C．Most people eat less than they used to. |
| D．A full restaurant meal is less popular. |
All the places that serve appetizers _.
| A．have much the same menu |
| B．have their own particular characteristics |
| C．have a bar with live music |
| D．are located at the end of the town |
If you go out for an evening of appetizers, you are likely to _.
| A．need a car or take a bus or other transport |
| B．be bored with some kinds of snacks |
| C．spend more time for a full meal than you would |
| D．eat too much meat |
Appetizers used to be seen as .
| A．relatively important | B．a full meal |
| C．a cheap meal | D． an expensive meal |
“Football is a very short-term career. Football really prepares you for almost nothing. The only thing I got out of football was the ability to work hard.” says Gales Sayers. So what do you do after your glory days on the field are over? Here’s what one of the top players, Gales Sayers did after he put down the pigskin.
Gales Sayers: #40, Chicago Bears, Running Back.
Gales Sayers became famous in 1965. After recovering from a serious knee injury in 1968, Sayers returned to the Bears in 1969 and was awarded the George Halas Award as “the most courageous player in professional football.” At the award ceremony, he owed his prize to his friend and teammate Brian Piccolo, who was dying of cancer.
Sayers couldn’t get away from the injuries, though, and another blow to his knee put an end to his football career in 1971. His personal life was unfortunate as well, as he and his wife, Linda, split up that year. Shortly after that, Sayers started a new life and career as an assistant athletic director in the University of Kansas. By 1976 he was moving up the ladder at Southern Illinois University, becoming the first African-American athletic director at a major university.
Sayers started a computer supplies company in 1984 with his second wife, Ardie, whom he married in 1973. The couple was looking for a field with a future, and computers seemed to have it all. Seventeen years later, the company that bears his name is a national provider of technology solutions, with 10 locations and over 350 employees across the country. Just like in the old days the honors started rolling in. Sayers was listed into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship(企业家) Hall of Fame in 1999.What does the underlined sentence “he put down the pigskin” mean?
A
. Sayers ended his football career.
B
. Sayers was too tired to go on playing.
C. Sayers intended to start a new career.
D. Sayers only wanted to rest for some time.How many times was Sayers honored in his life?
| A．Only once as a football star. |
| B．Only once as a businessman. |
| C．Twice in all. |
| D．We are not quite sure. |
Sayers started his new career mainly because of _______ .
| A．the first knee injury in l 968 |
| B．his unfortunate personal life |
| C．another more serious knee injury |
| D．a friend’s being deadly ill |
What can be learned from this passage?
| A．Football players are not successful all the time. |
| B．A successful businessman should be a ball player first. |
| C．A retired football player can easily make money. |
| D．Whatever you do, working hard is the most important. |
As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs. These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on. Once this value system is set up, it’s not easy to change later in life. Financial experts say that everyone also has his own belief of how to manage his money. According to our different values, experts put us in three catagories---the ant, the cricket(蟋蟀) and the snail.
★ The ant — work first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don't care about enjoying the moment. They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire. The ant loves to save, but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks with low risk.
★ The cricket — fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn't think too much about the future. They even borrow money when they really want something. Many young people now belong to this group. These people have little savings. When they get old, they might have problems. They should learn to save and buy insurance.
★ The snail — life under pressure
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves. They take big long-term loans(贷款) from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses. They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford them. This can cause problems in the future. They should plan more carefully.One’s values may________.
| A．be his ways of managing money |
| B．be his beliefs about society |
| C．be connected with his education |
| D．influence his behavior |
Mr. Smith always enjoys spending a weekend with his friends, fishing, hunting and playing cards. Besides, he spends money in a very luxurious way. So_______.
| A．Mr. Smith belongs to the ant type |
| B．Mr. Smith belongs to the cricket type |
| C．Mr. Smith belongs to the snail type |
| D．it’s hard to tell which kind of person Mr. Smith is |
The writer of the passage intends _______.
| A．to introduce to us the three types of people with different life style |
| B．to show us his special attitude to the different people |
| C．to tell us life is full of joy and happiness all the time |
| D．to warn us how to live a better life in a new way |
According to the passage, the most suitable title would be _______.
| A．Nature of Spending |
| B．What Comes First |
| C．How to Understand Your Belief |
| D．Work and Fun |